The Beauty of Everyday Things
Penguin Publishing Group · Print & ebook · October 8, 2019
A Nonfiction pick for readers exploring The Beauty of Everyday Things.
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- Who it’s for
- A thoughtful case for seeing care, simplicity, and beauty in the objects we use every day.
- Themes
- Japanese design aesthetics, Folkcraft and craftsmanship, Beauty in imperfection
- Genres
- Aesthetics, Japanese Art, Decorative Arts
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Start with this bookAbout this book
The Japanese philosopher and aesthete's definitive, hugely influential exposition of his philosophy of folkcrafts, setting out the hallmarks of Japanese design as we know it today: anonymity, quality, simplicity and honesty—and, of course, wabi-sabi, the beauty of imperfection A Penguin Classic Our lives are filled with objects. Everyday things used in everyday settings, they are our constant companions.
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As such, writes Soetsu Yanagi, they should be made with care and built to last, treated with respect and even affection. They should be natural and simple, sturdy and safe—an aesthetic fulfillment of our practical needs. They should, in short, be things of beauty. Long revered as the authority on craftsmanship and Japanese aesthetics, Yanagi devoted his life and writing to defend the value of craft. In an age of feeble and ugly machine-made things, The Beauty of Everyday Things is a call for each of us to deepen our relationship with the objects that surround us. Inspired by the work of the simple artisans Yanagi encountered on his lifelong travels through Japan and Korea, this now-classic book is a heartfelt defence of modest, honest, handcrafted objects, from traditional teacups to jars to paper—objects that exemplify the beauty of everyday things.
Ordinary Things, Considered
A thoughtful case for seeing care, simplicity, and beauty in the objects we use every day.
Come here for
- Japanese craft and aesthetics, approached through everyday objects
- A fresh way to look at simplicity and imperfection
Expect
- Reflections on modest, honest, handcrafted things
- Practical needs considered alongside beauty
Where it sits
| Decorative Arts | 53% |
|---|---|
| Japanese Art | 41% |
| Aesthetics | 34% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Japanese Art
- Design History
- Aesthetics
- Authors
- Soetsu Yanagi
- Publisher
- Penguin Publishing Group
- Published
- October 8, 2019
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Japanese design aesthetics · Folkcraft and craftsmanship · Beauty in imperfection
- Reading lane
- Japanese Art